1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a terminal extracting to relieve locked terminal by bending a flexible locking piece in a connector housing.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 13 and 14 show terminal extracting tools by prior art.
FIG. 13 shows a terminal extracting tool 60 for a male type terminal 63 which is received in a female type connector housing 68 and locked by a flexible locking piece 67 with fixed one-end. The male type terminal 63 is provided at one end thereof with a tab-shape electrical contact portion 64 and at the other end thereof with an electric wire joint portion 65 and between the electrical contact portion 64 and the electric wire joint portion 65 with a locking portion 66. The flexible locking piece 67 is extended forwardly to project cantilever-likely into an inner wall of a terminal receiving section 69 of the connector housing 68. The flexible locking piece 67 is locking the terminal by contacting with the locking portion 66. The terminal extracting tool 60 is provided at the end thereof with an upper slant sharp edge portion 61 to release locking by the flexible locking piece 67.
Extracting the male type terminal 63 with such an extracting tool is done by holding the connector housing 68 by one hand, holding a grip portion 62 of the extracting tool 60 by the other hand, inserting the end of the extracting tool 60 from the front of the connector housing 68 into the terminal receiving section 69, pushing the sharp edge portion 61 into a gap between the flexible locking piece 67 and the locking portion 66 and bending the flexible locking piece 67 upwardly to release locking. And then, the male type terminal 63 is extracted from the terminal receiving section 69 by pulling an electric wire 50.
FIG. 14 shows a terminal extracting tool 70 for a female type terminal 76 which is received in a male type connector housing 80 and locked by a flexible locking piece 81. Detailed description overlapped above will be omitted here. The female type terminal 76 is provided at one end thereof with an electric wire joint portion 77 and at the other end thereof with a female type electrical contact portion 78 and on a outer surface of the electrical contact portion 78 with a concave portion to contact with a flexible locking piece 81. The female type electrical contact portion 78 is formed into a hollow structure and provided inside with an elastic contact piece 79 to increase contact surface pressure with a mating male type electrical contact portion. The extracting tool 70 is comprised of an outer case 73 having a guide groove, a positioning member 74 engaging with the guide groove and having a convex portion 75 which engages a terminal insertion opening 82 at a front end of the connector housing 80 and a release plate 71 fixed on the outer case 73 and provided with an elastic member for energizing the positioning member 74 and with a lock release pin 72 for the flexible locking piece 81 in the connector housing 80. The lock release pin 72 is placed behind the convex portion 75. When engaging the convex portion 75 with the terminal insertion opening 82 and pushing it forwardly, the convex portion 75 moves back and the lock release pin 72 comes out forwardly. The lock release pin 72 is provided on the front end with a slant surface which has the same angle and direction as those of a slant surface on the front end of the flexible locking piece 81. Pushing the terminal extracting tool 70 forwardly, the slant surface on the front end of the lock release pin 72 contacts the slant surface of the flexible locking piece 81 and bends the flexible locking piece 81 upwardly. Thus, locking by the flexible locking piece 81 is released and the female type terminal 76 can be extracted easily by pulling the electric wire 50 rearwardly.
Regarding the first prior art as mentioned above, it is hard to position a lock release pin smoothly to a flexible locking piece for locking a terminal and then operation of releasing terminal lock is skilled job. Extracting action is required to concentrate a very small gap between a flexible locking piece and a locking portion with holding a connector housing. Further, inexperienced handling of terminal extracting tool may cause damaging a connector housing by inserting a lock release pin into wrong portion in a connector housing or deforming a terminal by pushing the terminal because of an obstacle by a tab-shape electrical contact portion. Furthermore, an operator may be hurt by a front end of the lock release pin that is thin and has a relative sharp top edge.
Regarding the second prior art as mentioned above, positioning a lock release pin can be controlled preciously and releasing terminal lock can be done securely without much experience. However, the extracting tool is only for a male type connector receiving a female type terminal therein and can not be applied to a female type connector because of the extracting tool structure. Therefore, a terminal extracting tool, which can be applied to a female type connector and can release lock of a male type terminal easily, is desired.
This invention has been accomplished to overcome the above drawbacks and an object of this invention is to provide a terminal extracting tool which can be applied to a female type connector and be operated easily without fail to release a male type terminal.
In order to attain the objects, there is provided a terminal extracting tool, for extracting a terminal locked by a flexible locking piece in a terminal receiving section of a connector housing, comprising a beam member including a lock release pin at front end thereof to be contacted with the flexible locking piece, a beam member guide hole for receiving the beam member slidably and freely therein, a pin guide hole communicating with the beam member guide hole, a holder provided with an escape for an electrical contact portion of the terminal and an elastic member mounted in said beam member guide hole for energizing the beam member rearwardly (claim 1).
Preferably, placing a front end of the lock release pin in said beam member energized by the elastic member behind a front end surface of said holder is effective (claim 2).
Preferably, comprising said beam member juxtapositionaly at least two members that can slide in an axial direction independently of each other is effective (claim 3).
Preferably, energizing each of said members rearwardly by respective elastic member is effective (claim 4).
Preferably, providing the beam member at a rear position thereof with a grip which is separated for each of said members is effective (claim 5).
Preferably, providing the beam member on one side wall thereof with a positioning projection as a stopper and providing the holder on a side wall thereof with an oval opening to engage with the positioning projection to slide freely are effective (claim 6).
Preferably, providing the holder with a stepped end surface for positioning itself to insert it into the connector is effective (claim 7).
Preferably, providing the holder on a bottom surface thereof with a convex spline for engaging with a groove of a connector fitting section to slide freely is effective (claim 8).
Acting and effects according to above structure will be described as following.
In case of claim 1 of this invention, when inserting a holder into a connector fitting section and pushing it inwardly, the front end surface of the holder abuts on a rear wall of the connector fitting section and then moving the holder forwardly is limited. At that time, the electrical contact portion, projecting like a cantilever, of the male type terminal is received in an escape of the holder. Furthermore, sliding the beam member forwardly, the front end of the lock release pin comes out from the front end surface of the holder and abuts to the front end portion of the flexible locking piece. The front end of the lock release pin slides under the front end portion of the flexible locking piece and bends the flexible locking piece upwardly and then releases locking. The male type terminal is extracted by pulling the electric wire. After that, when abating force to energize the beam member, the lock release pin projecting from the front end surface of the holder is pulled into the holder by elastic force of the elastic member and received in the holder.
In case of claim 2 of this invention, the front end of the lock release pin does not come out outside in a condition of not pushing the beam member forwardly.
In case of claim 3 of this invention, since the beam member, provided at the front end with the lock release pin, is divided in an upper part and a lower part at a partition line, each member of the beam members can slide independently of each other in a condition of connecting the holder with the connector fitting section.
In case of claim 4 of this invention, each part of the divided beam members in upper and lower tiers is energized by respective coil spring and then one member action is not affected by the other member action.
In case of claim 5 of this invention, operation for each beam member can be done by each grip.
In case of claim 6 of this invention, forward/rearward moving limits of the beam member is determined and also projecting length of the lock release pin is determined.
In case of claim 7 of this invention, forward moving of the holder is limited by abutting the stepped end surface of the holder on an open end surface of the connector housing in a condition of not pressing the holder to touch the front surface to the rear wall of the connector fitting section.
In case of claim 8 of this invention, engaging a dovetail shape convex spline provided on the bottom surface of the holder with a groove of a connector fitting section, positions the holder in a width direction.
According to claim 1 of this invention, as mentioned above, inserting a holder into a connector fitting section and pushing it more forwardly, a front end surface of the holder abuts on a rear wall surface of the connector fitting section and then moving the holder more forwardly is limited. At that time, an electrical contact portion, projecting like a cantilever, of a male type terminal is received with an escape hole of the holder. Furthermore, sliding a beam member forwardly, a front end of a lock release pin comes out from the front end of the holder and abuts on a front end of a flexible locking piece. The front end of the lock release pin slides under the front end of the flexible locking piece and bends the flexible locking piece upwardly to release terminal lock. Thereby, the male type terminal is extracted by pulling an electric wire. After that, when abating force to push the beam member, the lock release pin, projecting from the front end surface of the holder, is pulled into the holder by elastic force of the elastic member and received in the holder. Thereby, the terminal lock can be released easily and safely, not damaging a tab-shape electrical contact portion of the male type terminal.
According to claim 2 of this invention, the front end of the lock release pin does not come out outside in a condition of not pushing the beam member forwardly. Therefore, hurting an operator or damaging a connector housing by the front end of the lock release pin is prevented.
According to claim 3 of this invention, since the beam member, provided at the front end with the lock release pin, is divided in an upper member and a lower member at a partition line, each of the beam members can slide independently of each other in a condition of connecting the holder with the connector fitting section. Therefore, upper and lower terminals can be released by only one time positioning the terminal extracting tool.
According to claim 4 of this invention, each of the divided beam members in upper and lower tiers is energized by respective coil spring and then facility of a terminal extracting operation can be enhanced.
According to claim 5 of this invention, operation for each beam member can be done by each grip and then facility of a terminal extracting operation can be enhanced.
According to claim 6 of this invention, back-and-forth moving limits of the beam member is determined and also projecting length of the lock release pin is determined. Therefore, damage of the male type terminal 40 by over moving forwardly is prevented and the lock release pin can be received in the holder.
According to claim 7 of this invention, forward moving of the holder is limited by abutting the stepped end surface of the holder on an open end surface of the connector housing in a condition of not pressing the holder to abut the front surface on the rear wall of the connector fitting section. Therefore, positioning the lock release pin forwardly can be done securely.
According to claim 8 of this invention, positioning a holder in a width direction is done by engaging a dovetail shape convex spline, provided on the bottom surface of the holder, with a groove of a connector fitting section. Therefore, miss-insertion is prevented and operation of extracting a terminal can be enhanced.